


A Rude Awakening

by AsMyWimseyTakesMe



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Force Ghosts, Fun with galactic history, Human Experimentation, Isard/Iceheart (she deserves her own warning), Little Black Dress Challenge, Living planet (not Mortis), Multi, Rogue Squadron, Violence, X-Wing pilots/stick jockeys, obscure references to dead Jedi and Jedi history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 07:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7792732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsMyWimseyTakesMe/pseuds/AsMyWimseyTakesMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was supposed to be a simple scouting mission in semi-friendly space.</p><p>Right.</p><p>They were Rogues. <em>Simple</em> was just not in their vocabulary anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“It has been assumed for many centuries that the Jedi were the driving force behind the end of the Great Hyperspace War and the repulsion of the Sith Empire, yet that may not be the case. While the Jedi played a large role in the destruction of the Sith, there are hints that they were not the only warriors who could stand against the wielders of the Dark. Pieces of the puzzle appear in the records; the only surviving holocron of Ood Bnar mentions a planet of _sontristi_ , a Neti word that translates as “those bound [together] in light,” and remaining military reports mention two-person units that ground forces termed “hunters,” who worked in tandem with Jedi Knights against Sith warriors. Of course, the Coruscant Temple Archives lack official documentation of the Great Hyperspace War, as much of our ancient records were destroyed in Exar Kun’s attack on Ossus. As such, most of the references to these mysterious pairs are found in poems written by Jedi.

“One such Jedi was Knight Wexis Shaviin, whose species and homeworld are lost to time. According to his official report in the Temple Archives on Coruscant – barely legible, as it was written on actual paper—Knight Shaviin, then a Padawan, was separated from his Master and unit during the Sith invasion of Primus Goluud during the Great Hyperspace War. He recounts being hunted through a ruined city by three Sith warriors and preparing to sell his life dearly, before being saved by a pair of “hunters.” While the report is short on detail, Shaviin later used his experiences of the War in his poetry, becoming one of the Order’s more famous poets before his death at the hands of the Hutts. There is one piece, however, that has never been translated before; a fragment in Old Aurebesh that many overlooked due to the references to unknown creatures, but which I believe to be animals on Shaviin’s unknown homeworld used as metaphors for these “hunters” or _sontristi_. The fragment is as follows:

 _...as paired_ shixii _they came,_

_through smoke, blazing bright_

_in the mind’s eye;_

_as the_ shixii _turn on the_ xipa _,_

 _so the hunted became hunters…_ (translation into Basic by Master Tahl, 63 BBY)

This is one of many examples of poetic references to these unknown allies. The poems date from the Great Hyperspace War through the millennia until the destruction of Exar Kun on Yavin 4. Afterwards, there is no mention of these _sontristi_ , these “hunters.” Despite the mere scraps of information found within the Temple Archives, we can assume that these unknowns were well-known to the Jedi, and great allies of the Light. What caused them to disappear?”

~Extract from a research proposal by Noori Jedi Master Tahl, Lore Keeper

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here begins my final work from July's Little Black Dress Challenge! Luke Skywalker is my favorite Star Wars character, with Wedge Antilles running a close second (and the rest of the Rogues third, because come on, they're _awesome_ ), so of course I had to write a little story with them.
> 
> As always, my beta is the talented [SvengoolieCat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SvengoolieCat).
> 
> Also, just a quick note: there is a downloadable Aurebesh font, for those who want to get really authentic with their Jedi poetry.
> 
> *cough*like me*cough*
> 
> It won't show up here, unfortunately, since it's a downloadable font, but it's available on [David Occhino's website](http://davidocchino.com/portfolio/typography/aurebesh.html).


	2. "as paired shixii they came"

“We’ve scoured the area with our long-range instruments. While the J’mel system is relatively close, there’s been interference from the system’s sun for several millennia and instruments don’t always work correctly from outside the system. Still, Wedge and the others should have been able to contact us from inside J’mel, even if they were forced to land on Sa’brg rather than doing a fly-over.” Prince Rial of Eiattu 6 had a soothing voice, even when delivering unhappy news, Leia had to admit. There was a small commotion, and Princess Isplourrdacartha Estillo, Empress Heir-Apparent to Eiattu 6 and the Ado sector, elbowed her way in front of Rial, who gave way with a long-suffering look. Plourr Ilo—as she had been known in Rogue Squadron—took over the report. 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past them to land just for the hell of it; there’s a lot of strange legends about Sa’brg, and they were pretty interested. Corran said something about Corellian folklore and correlations between Eiattu’s stories about the J’mel system, blah blah blah, I didn’t listen to all of it. Still, they overshot their check-in by three hours now, and by Rogue Squadron terms…well. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to go conduct reconnaissance myself at the moment. I have been informed that my presence is required at this political conference because I’m the host, go figure, and our pilots are currently engaged in sweeping our system for those damn bandits that are harassing our guests.” Plourr rubbed a hand over her head with an expression of disgust. She was half-in her old X-Wing jumpsuit, and her betrothed—Prince Rial—stood behind her in the hologram with a wry smile. There was a crumpled fire-silk dress on the couch in the background.

Despite the gravity of the news, Leia had to hide a small smile. Plourr had obviously been caught as she prepared to go search for her old friends herself. Leia half-wished Plourr had been able to get off-planet before her plans were discovered. If anyone could find missing Rogue pilots, it was another Rogue. But Leia also knew the duties of a ruler, and this conference on Eiattu was meant to draw more Mid-Rim planets toward the New Republic and away from the Empire. As a former member of the Rebellion, and now a staunch ally of the New Republic, Plourr’s position as both Empress Heir-Apparent and host was very important to the hopeful success of the conference. 

“Thank you for the report, Your Highness.” Leia replied politely, mindful of the aides in the room with her. “At the moment, the rest of Rogue Squadron is spread out on similar missions, but I’ll consult with Admiral Ackbar. We should be able to pull most of them within the next day and send them to assist with both your bandit problem and a probable rescue operation. Of course, the New Republic delegation is already on the way to Eiattu, headed by Lady Winter and piloted by Mirax Terrik—sorry, Mirax _Horn_.”

“Yeah, I heard about _that_.” Plourr smirked. “Horn finally found his balls and married her. Did Booster shoot him? Never mind, pretty sure I know the answer. So, when Winter and Mirax get here, sit on them and make sure they don’t try anything heroic until backup arrives.”

“And I will arrive soon after they do,” a low, pleasant voice said from behind Leia. There was a murmur from her aides, and Leia closed her eyes in annoyance.

“Oh hey, Luke! Bored of running around looking for Forcey-things?”

“Hello to you too, Plourr.” Luke gave her a smile. Leia slanted a glare at him, and he ignored her with aplomb. Sometimes she cursed that Jedi calm Luke seemed to wear like a heavy cloak.

“So, running off to Eiattu?” Plourr was grinning. Rial gave Leia a sympathetic glance. 

“Yes, if Wedge, Tycho, _and_ Corran are missing, well, a Jedi is an asset, yes?” 

“I won’t complain.” Plourr shrugged. “Comm the palace when you arrive, we’ll send someone to get you. We’ll park you in the royal hangar with the rest of the Rogues and Mirax’s borrowed ferryboat.” 

There was a snort from behind Leia—Han had apparently arrived as well—and after an exchange of the usual political pleasantries, mostly between Leia and Rial, the comm blinked out. Leia glanced over at her aides. 

“Shivvatt, please inform Admiral Ackbar and Admiral Cracken that I need to speak with them on a matter of some urgency. The rest of you are dismissed for the evening. Thank you for your work.” 

As soon as the room cleared, Leia looked at Luke with a tight frown. He looked back, his gaze steady. 

“We need you here, Luke. We need to present a united front of the ‘heroes’ of the Rebellion for the inauguration of the new Senators, and you’re supposed to be presenting the Senate with the proposal for a new Jedi Academy as the first order of business. You need to be here; we _all_ need to be there. Goodness knows when we three became the so-called pillars of the New Republic, but it happened, and you’re barely on Coruscant as it is.” 

“You and Han are perfectly capable of dealing with the politics without me. Most of the Senators will have little-to-no interest in me whatsoever. And something else can be the first order of business. Perhaps the destruction of Palpatine’s palace and the recovery of the Jedi Temple’s Archives.” Luke suggested. “Besides, having the Jedi make a token appearance at the Eiattu conference could only strengthen Plourr’s appeals to the Mid-Rim worlds, correct?” 

Leia frowned and glanced at Han. The former smuggler threw up his hands. 

“Nope, not getting in the middle. I know damn well that taking either side will not help me.” 

Leia snorted and Luke laughed. The tension broke, and Luke came forward, taking Leia’s hands.

“I have to go, Leia.”

She searched his face. “Is it the Force? Is that why you’re being so insistent?” 

“Perhaps.” His face grew troubled for a moment, then smoothed out. “But all I need to know is that it’s _Wedge_ , Leia. I’ll head out in the next hour; I should arrive at Eiattu a few hours after your delegation.” He suddenly grinned, a boyish grin that lit up his eyes. “If Mirax is slow and Winter distracted, I might even be able to arrive before the fun starts.” 

Leia rolled her eyes as Luke left. Han came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“He’s right, you know.” Han observed quietly. “We can change things around and no one will know. There wasn’t anything set in stone, really; your aides are still hardwired for Rebellion and flexibility.” 

Leia heaved a sigh and thumped her head back against his shoulder. “I suppose I should be thankful for that. I don’t understand why Luke is so _insistent_ on this, though. He’s been away from Rogue Squadron for, what, two years now? He always trusted Wedge before. Why get worried now? It’s not even like that time with the bomb, or with Kessel, no Force-visions bearing down on him about Wedge’s death or imprisonment.” 

She felt Han’s chest shake. Twisting in his arms, she looked up and saw his face screwed up in amusement. 

“Leia, come on, I thought you knew?” 

“Knew what?” She demanded. 

“It’s not about _trust_.” Han grinned down at her and winked. “Luke trusts Wedge enough that he makes mental contact through the Force, even though Wedge is Force-blind, which—he informed Chewie, who told me—takes complete trust on both sides. It’s about something a little more…eh, gooey?” 

“Gooey?” Leia stared at him, then her mouth dropped open. “ _No_. Really?” 

Han smirked. 

“Sithspit, how did I miss _that_?” Leia marveled. “Luke and Wedge? Really?” 

“They aren’t together, not yet, at least. And I have no idea about Wedge’s feelings,” Han informed her, “because we manly men don’t talk about these things, you know, but I’m pretty damn sure that Luke fell hard years ago.”

“…you’re certain?” 

“I bunked with him, Leia. I am _very_ certain.” 

“Well, damn. All right.” Leia sucked in a breath and pulled away, just as the door chimed for visitors. “Let’s get the Rogues back so they can have backup. Then we’ll figure out everything else.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plourr was one of the best parts of the Rogue Squadron comics.
> 
> And yes, I will be titling the chapters using lines from that "ancient Jedi poem" I wrote. Because there are five lines and five parts and it worked.


	3. "through smoke"

_Is he waking up? I think he’s waking up._

_You’re seeing things. She used so much of that drug I’m shocked he isn’t dead._

_The other two certainly metabolized it a lot quicker…_

_She used less on them. She didn’t want to take chances with this one. I wonder why? They’re all pretty much the same, uniform and everything. Though I suppose this one_ is _younger…at least he looks like it._

_None of them have grey hair, though. How do you know if none of them have grey hair?_  

“Ugh, shut up,” Corran Horn groaned at the shivery voices and they stopped abruptly. Wincing at the pounding in his head and the sickly-sweet taste in his mouth—Force, he hated drugs—he rolled to his knees and rested his forehead on the duracrete floor. It was cool against his skin, even if the air was heavy and humid, and he sprawled down on his stomach, relishing the coolness on his…shirtless torso. 

“Kriffing hell!” 

Corran bolted to his feet and swayed for a moment as the headache blacked out his vision. It cleared after a moment, and he stared down to see himself stripped down to his regulation black underwear. Uniform, helmet, bodystocking, emergency transmitter, _Whistler_ … 

Wait. His R2 unit had been with the X-Wings. Corran, Wedge, and Tycho had been with the X-Wings, last he remembered. He winced at a new spike of pain in his head. They had landed on—on Sa’brg, right, they were flying reconnaissance fighters, checking for remnants of Isard’s forces, and their instruments went haywire. They were forced to land. And then? 

Sithspawn. What happened then? 

_…Ovuk, what is he doing?_

_How should I know?_

_You’ve been watching them longer than me!_

_These ones are different! Besides, I only watch once in a while, that madwoman makes me sick, and the Elders say she’s making Sa’brg unhappy too._

“What?” Corran finally looked around the room. His CorSec training allowed him to take it in with a glance—five-by-five meters square, duracrete all around, one tiny window close to the top of the six-meter ceiling, a heavy steel door with no obvious entry-pad or handle, and two small, transparent blue figures in the far corner… 

“What the _kriffing hell!_ ” Corran yelped. The ghosts blinked at him, then the smaller one squeaked and disappeared. The taller one cleared his throat.

_Um…greetings?_

“What in the Force are you?” Corran demanded. 

_…we’re us. In the Force, that is. We’re us._  

“…what is that supposed to mean?” 

_Well, you said “what in the Force,” and we’re in the Force, and we’re just…us._  

“Gods, it’s like talking to a kid.” Corran ran a hand over his face, then registered the rather sheepish silence. His instincts pinged, and he dropped his hand and stared at the rather small figure. It seemed to shuffle in place, and Corran belatedly reached out with his recently-discovered Force-sense to find the figure had a curious, distinctly masculine and surprisingly young mind in a glowing transparent body. Luke had told him about this, but he had never believed it until now. 

“You’re a kid. You’re a damned _Force ghost_ and you’re a _kid_.” 

_I’m not a kid! I’m thirteen summers old! Well, I was._

“Still a kid,” Corran said absently. Now that he knew what the stranger was, his fight-or-flight instinct petered off, and his headache was back. Gods, but he hated being a Jedi potential sometimes; his mental shields must have disappeared during the crash, this was the worst his head had felt since that first lesson on shielding with Luke Skywalker. He could actually sense emotions hovering around him, something he had never encountered before. What the hell happened when they landed on this planet? 

The young Force ghost had drifted closer. He was short, with lanky arms and legs in loose pants and a tunic. His original colors were lost in the blue-white glow, but he had bright, inquisitive eyes that took up a third of his face, and his features were strangely pointed. 

_You look like the lady’s people._ The ghost observed. _Are you?_  

“Well, considering I’m trapped in what looks like a cell…”

_That doesn’t matter. She’s done that to a lot of people, even ones that wear her uniform._

“Who is this lady?” 

_She calls herself Isard. I heard some of the others call her Iceheart, though._  

Corran’s heart stuttered. His blood seemed to chill even as everything suddenly cleared in his mind. CorSec Mind, his partner Iella Wessiri had called it; after a certain amount of time in the security forces, people developed the ability to apply training and logic to a situation even if they were screaming with fear on the inside. 

Not that Corran was fearful. Oh no. He was _furious_. How was that bitch still alive? And now he really wanted to remember what happened, because if Isard got her claws into Tycho again, not to mention Wedge…

“You, kid.” 

_My name is Ovuk_.

“Ovuk, then. How long was I unconscious?” 

_I don’t know for sure. Time isn’t really something we pay attention to, anymore._  

“This is important. We’re not part of Isard’s group, Ovuk. The two other newcomers and I, we’re some of the people fighting _against_ her. I need to know what happened; how long I was unconscious, where my friends are, and where exactly we are. Can you answer any of those?” 

_Well, the sun was sinking on the eastern continent when you landed, I think. Tabit and I were there watching birds because it drowns out the screams._ Ovuk’s young voice was matter-of-fact. _After Sa’brg woke the three of you up, the Isard lady showed up and shot you all with a drug so you stopped screaming. Tabit and I followed when she took you back to the northern continent, but we stayed with you. I don’t know where your friends are; she took them into the bad place._

“The bad—look, Ovuk.” Corran grimaced. His Force-senses felt stretched thin. The emotions around him were pressing down, and it was taking much of his concentration to ignore them. “I don’t know what you mean about waking us up or screaming or anything, I can’t remember what happened after our ships went haywire. Is there anything, anything at all, that you could do to help me?” 

There was silence for a moment, then Ovuk moved closer. He reached out with a little blue hand and touched Corran’s elbow. The pilot felt a tingle. All the hair on his body stood on end. 

_I can help you remember._  

“You what?” 

_I’m not supposed to do it. The Elders say I’m too little still, but technically I’ve been dead longer than they were,_ Ovuk confided, _so I can help that way. It might hurt…_  

“Do it,” Corran said. He dropped into a comfortable position on the floor, crossing his legs and staring up at the ghostly child. “Something is wrong with me, Ovuk, and my friends are missing. I know it’s centered around this planet, somehow, and I need to know what happened when we landed.” 

_Very well, Corran Horn_. 

Corran frowned. Had he introduced himself earlier? How did this kid know his name? 

Ovuk reached forward and pressed his hand to Corran’s forehead. 

_Remember_. 

Corran’s vision bled white.

 

***

 

_Corran coughed as his cockpit filled with smoke. Whistler complained at him, a series of high-pitched shrieks that he couldn’t understand with his computer screen obscured._

_“Red 3, status?” Wedge demanded._

_“Instruments are fucked, Red Leader.” Corran flinched at a burst of sparks. “I knew our transmissions would likely be jammed by the planet’s interference, Wedge, but this is a bit more than that.”_

_“I know.” Wedge’s voice was grim. “Tycho still has some instruments, but his droid just exploded. I’ve still got Gate, but most of my instruments are fried. We need to land.”_

_“That might be a bad idea,” Tycho observed. His aristocratic voice was tight. “If this was caused by someone, or something, from the planet…”_

_“We don’t have a choice. It’s either wait up here like blind nerfs for another blow, if it is an enemy, or land and have a chance to defend ourselves. Snoopscoots won’t be able to fight anyone off, and you know it.”_

_“Damned lack of weapons,” Tycho muttered, but acknowledged the order and began descending toward the brown-green that was a large continent on Sa’brg’s western hemisphere. Corran followed as Whistler managed to begin siphoning off the smoke, and Wedge brought up the rear._  

_They landed in a large clearing surrounded by jungle. The last of the smoke dissipated as Corran lifted the hood off his cockpit and he pulled off his helmet. The air around them was silent, but that was unexpected. Whatever cataclysm had destroyed this planet in the bygone past, only plants remained, in odd little bunches that were slowly spreading across barren plains without the aid of insects._

_Next to him, Wedge swung himself onto the wing of his snoopscoot. Gate, his red R5 astromech, chirped at him._

_“Yes, I know the instruments are fried, I’ve got the burns to prove it.”_

_“What’s the plan, Wedge?” Tycho called, leaning on the side of his cockpit with crossed arms._

_“Duck and cover. Build a campsite, find a way to get our instruments back online, and try contacting Eiattu.” Wedge rubbed a hand over his short dark hair. “Plourr said the interference wouldn’t affect us too much if we were on planet, rather than in orbit.”_

_“Sounds good.” Corran pulled himself out of his ship and hit the ground with a thud. The thick mossy ground gave a little under his feet._

Mine.

_“What?” Corran looked around in confusion. Wedge, in the process of removing his helmet, frowned at him._

_“Corran?”_

_“Did either of you say something?”_

_“No,” Tycho answered. He had been attempting to eject the remains of his astromech._

You’re here. 

_“…neither of you heard_ anything _?”_

_Wedge stilled. “Corran. Do I need to be worried? Is this a Force thing?”_

My children. My children return.

_“You’re telling me neither of you heard that.”_

_“If this is a Jedi thing, you know I have little to no talent,” Tycho said wryly._

_“And I have been reliably informed that I am Force-blind,” Wedge laughed, and leapt off the wing of his ship. Tycho followed him down._

WAKE UP.

_The moment their boots hit the ground, they began screaming. Corran ran towards them with a shout, as Wedge and Tycho crumpled to the ground, their hands over their ears. Before he got within five feet, he stumbled, as the ground rolled underneath him. A moment later, he realized it was his vision twisting, not the ground itself, and a wash of painterrorconfusion overwhelmed his mind. He let out a cry of shock and fell to his knees. The emotions spiked, and his stomach roiled. He blinked, seeing shimmering blue figures for a moment, which suddenly resolved into the shining white of Stormtroopers. There was a sting in his left shoulder._

_His world went blessedly black._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Ovuk's an astral Sheldon Cooper!  
> Me: ...yeah, pretty much. *shrugs*
> 
> **FYI:** There is a version of the T-65 X-Wing (the X-Wing used in the original trilogy and the Rogue Squadron books) called the T-65BR X-Wing Reconnaissance Fighter, also known as Recon-X or snoopscoots, used for long-range reconnaissance missions. Its weapons were removed and replaced with hypertransceivers and sensor packages, plus some nice little suicide buttons for both gleaned information and pilot, should they fall into the wrong hands. Lovely. While I don’t remember the Rogues using them in the books, they are sent on recon missions several times in the comics, complete with snoopscoots.


	4. "blazing bright in the mind's eye"

She had been feared throughout the Empire, once.

Her name had been whispered behind locked doors. Eyes had watched her wherever she walked. The mere threat of spending time in her presence had been enough to straighten out the most rebellious Stormtrooper. A rumor of the _Lusankya_ in orbit could, and had, convinced entire civilian communities to pledge loyalty to the Empire, even when she was nowhere near their pathetic little planets.

They were all frightened of her, civilians and politicians and Imperials alike, scared of her power, her sadistic imagination, and her cunning mind. She had held the favor and appreciation of the Emperor herself, and she had reveled in it all. It was simply her due. 

And then a bunch of Rebel stick jockeys _ruined_ it. 

“The Rebel has fallen unconscious, Director Isard,” one of her scientists murmured.

“I can see that,” she sneered, peering down at the sweating, shivering form of Tycho Celchu. “Just try to ensure he won’t fall into the same comatose state as the other subjects. We should be able to get several weeks of data out of him and his comrades, if we don’t drive them over the edge.” 

“They seem to be stronger than the other subjects,” another scientist piped up. Isard turned her glacial, bi-colored eyes on him and he visibly gulped. 

“They are Rebels, Dr. Shim, and Rebels are weak, spineless scum who will fall against the might of the Empire once we finish our work.” 

“Yes, Director.” He replied and skittered off to a far corner, away from her. 

Isard smirked inwardly—at least she still held power over her subordinates—and turned to the doctor in charge. 

“Kentall, begin packing. Leave the Rebel; the troopers are dealing with subject transport. Make sure all your data and research are backed up and secured.” 

“Are we leaving?”

“Yes. I am ordering an evacuation. If there’s one thing I know about these particular Rebels, it’s that their allies will come back for them.” Isard could feel her mouth twist in disgust. “I would never have chosen a place so close to Eiattu if I had a choice, but needs must. On to your preparations, doctor.” 

Isard left the room and went across the hall into a similar laboratory, only to find the scientists already packing. She nodded approval. As she turned to leave, the subject on the examination table caught her attention; his eyes were open and fixed on her. She smiled. 

“Well, Wedge Antilles.” Isard moved over to the table and leaned over the Rebel pilot. His dark eyes glared at her over the cloth gag the scientists used to ensure their subjects didn’t bite through their tongues during testing. “You are a hardy soul, aren’t you? Most of our subjects are comatose after five hours of tests, but you… Have you even responded?” 

He kept silent, but she saw the sweat on his skin, the rashes climbing up his legs. Even as Antilles held her gaze, Isard could see his pupils contract and expand much too quickly. She chuckled and he jerked in his bonds. 

“No, you _are_ responding. You are simply too stubborn to give in to your body’s whims.” She mused. “I would just kill the three of you—you in particular, Antilles, you’re a thorn in the Empire’s side—but then we find the three of you with that special little gene I’ve been researching. What a gift to the Empire.” Isard traced her hand down his face, tapping her nails on Antilles’ cheekbone and enjoying his flinch. “So many Imperial volunteers that we didn’t want to damage, but lost anyway, even without the more invasive procedures. To have newer specimens to play with, to practice on to ensure the survival of Imperial gene carriers! That said specimens happen to be Rogues, well, that is simply icing on the cake, so to speak. I have some special ideas for Celchu,” she mused. Antilles snarled beneath his gag and Isard smiled cruelly. “Oh, he will regret the way he resisted me when I had him on my beautiful _Lusankya_. As for your pet Jedi hopeful, well, he’s interesting, but dangerous. I think I’ll keep him for a little while, his gene is slightly different.” She turned to leave. “Of course, once we map his genes, he is no longer useful. I will not compromise my operation with the presence of Jedi, especially this particular one. There will be no escape for Corran Horn _this_ time.” 

Isard heard Antilles growling and straining against his bonds and allowed herself a smile of satisfaction. To have her enemies in her hands… 

Now she would have to ensure she kept them. 

“Madam Director!” A young officer jogged up beside her and saluted. “The evacuation to the _Reckoning_ is proceeding, but it appears it will take longer than planned, due to the transport of the research subjects. Captain Ylva has picked up transmissions that indicate Eiattu is in the process of mopping up the mercenaries we hired to attack the capitol. There is a possibility that fighters will be sent to investigate the whereabouts of the Rebels once the mercenaries are dealt with.” 

Isard tapped a finger against her chin. “How much longer until the evacuation is complete?” 

“Perhaps eight hours, madam.” 

“And the trip from this system to Eiattu is…about an hour, via fighter.” She nodded to herself. “Very well. Inform Captain Ylva that she is to continue to monitor frequencies. When Eiattu’s forces take down the mercenaries, the _Reckoning_ will launch its TIE contingent, which will be assigned to harass Eiattu’s capitol until such time as the evacuation is complete.” 

“I will inform the captain, Madam Director.” The young ensign snapped off a salute and walked quickly back in the direction of the communications room. Isard moved in the opposite direction, toward her own office. She would pack her things herself; there was sensitive research and information, and years as the Director of Imperial Intelligence had taught her that even Stormtroopers could not completely contain their curiosity.

 

***

 

_Ovuk, that was dangerous! You haven’t had the training for something like that, you could have seriously hurt him. Force gods. Lad’s got the luck of Nomi Sunrider herself_.

_He’s a Corellian, what did you expect?_

_Shut up, Nejaa. You shouldn’t even be here, you know Sa’brg doesn’t appreciate your presence when she’s this—this discombobulated._

_Discombobulated? Really? Anyway, he’s my grandson, Elder Soruk. I have a right to be here._

_…I might have guessed._  

Corran blinked his eyes open to find two shimmering blue figures bent over him. One had similar features to Ovuk; over-large eyes and pointed features, with long pale hair and simple clothing. The second figure was tall and broad, human, with a dark beard, and wearing Jedi robes. Corran groaned and let his head drop back to the floor. 

“No, I’m not ready for this, I told Luke I didn’t want to see any family Force ghosts for _at least_ six months, that’s why we put off training!” Corran complained to the ceiling. There was a snort and the human interposed his head between Corran and the ceiling with a smirk. 

_Well, you certainly have your grandmother’s penchant toward melodrama._

“Oh shut up.” Corran rolled to his knees and was surprised to find his headache was gone. The other ghost—Elder Soruk?—smiled at him. Corran could see Ovuk hovering behind his elder with a worried look.

“I have a lot of questions, but I’m pretty sure you’re going to be cryptic and full of riddles,” the pilot told the elder drily. Soruk huffed out a laugh.

_You’ve had run-ins with Jedi ghosts, then._  

“No, but Luke has, and he’s got some interesting stories.” 

_Obi-Wan did like his riddles. Yoda too, come to think of it._ Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon snorted and took a seat close to his grandson. Corran just eyed him. 

“And what are _you_ doing here?”

_Can’t a man visit his grandson?_  

“You couldn’t have found a better time?” 

_Eh._ Nejaa shrugged. _This is actually a pretty exciting development, I figured you should have some sort of family around for it._  

Corran frowned. He could still sense emotions, even with his headache gone, though they were strangely muffled. Elder Soruk reached over and patted the air over his hand. 

_We don’t have much time,_ he said apologetically, _but you need some explanations so you can escape with your comrades._  

“Wait, you’re actually going to give me decent information?”

_I_ , Soruk said with a smirk, _am not a Jedi._  

“And yet you’re a Force ghost.” 

_Peace, grandson. You’re as bad as Rostek. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you were CorSec. Enough with the interrogation and let the elder speak. We only have so much time._  

Corran sighed, but acquiesced. He could feel the urgency in the air. 

“All right. What do I need to know?” 

_The folklore on Corellia. The legends on Eiattu. The stories you’re heard from the far corners of the galaxy, which all have the same hallmarks, the same kind of heroes… they’re true._ Soruk said bluntly. 

Corran slowly sat back. His mind was running apace with this revelation. He had always been interested in the bedtime stories his parents told, taken from Corellian lore. The heroes were always pairs—two men, two women, man and woman—and they protected their friends, families, even sometimes complete strangers, from evil forces. Most times, it was bandits, pirates, greedy men and women; other times, in quiet dark rooms, it was the Sith. Corran had once thought they were tales of Jedi, twisted to mask their connections to the Force, since any mention of Jedi was anathema when he was growing up to protect his family. As he grew, however, he had realized that these stories, while concentrated on Corellia, were not exclusive to his home planet. People from Outer Rim planets had similar stories, of humanoid men and women with uncanny senses and strange mental powers. Even Plourr had stories, situated around this very planet, which she called Sa’brg and Tycho had called Silence, as it had been named in Alderaanian star charts. 

But if the legends were true… 

_We can’t delve into the entirety of Sa’brg’s history right now. There simply isn’t time. But I will tell you this; the people of this planet kept to themselves before the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY. We had no need of the outside world, and any who tried to invade were swiftly repulsed. We were strong, we were peaceful, we were content, and much of that was due to our guardians, the Sentinels and their Guides._ Soruk’s eyes grew distant. _A genetic gift, given by Sa’brg herself, that allowed Sentinels extraordinary physical senses and Guides intimidating mental gifts. And then the Sith Empire attacked the Republic, and we could not stay silent. We were guardians, and our Guides knew the evil of the Sith, and we could not allow the Republic to fall. And so we left our homes and fought. We found that our Sentinels and Guides worked well alongside the Jedi. Our silence was broken, and the galaxy knew of us. Many Guides became Jedi, in fact, once the war had ended. Not that the Council was particularly happy about it; the Guides who chose to become Jedi were exceptionally strong with the Force, but they also came with built-in partners—usually romantic partners—in their Sentinels. The Council could not do anything about it, but the unease around our Sentinels and Guides meant that many preferred to call the Corellian Temple home._  

“Which explains the legends on Corellia, at least. Okay. But you said no riddles and cryptic nonsense, why tell me this?” 

_We were a large part of both the larger galaxy and the Jedi Order itself until Exar Kun destroyed Ossus several thousand years after the Great Hyperspace War._ Soruk said quietly. _On his retreat to Yavin 4, he…detoured, and struck here. Sentinels and Guides had been instrumental in destroying the Sith, and he remembered. The only survivors were those Sentinels and Guides who had been off-planet at the time. They scattered to the edges of the galaxy, and slowly, they disappeared. The disappearance was hastened by the destruction of Ossus, which held most of the information on our kind. We can mingle with nearly every humanoid species found in this galaxy, but without Sa’brg to unlock the gene, no Sentinels or Guides could awake, and they passed into myth, even as the J’mel system, and our little planet, were forgotten in time._  

There was a mourning, moaning sigh in Corran’s head and he flinched. Soruk shook his head. 

_I am sorry, Corran Horn. You are the first one to visit who can hear her, and she keeps her consciousness close to you._  

“She?” 

_Sa’brg herself_. Soruk said simply. Corran stared at him for a long moment. 

“Let me get this straight. There were actually people who had extraordinary mental and physical abilities, who could mate and mingle with pretty much every humanoid species known and share the genes that made that possible. They could go toe-to-toe with kriffing Sith warriors. But they disappeared because they needed this planet—which is apparently a freaking _living planet_ —to activate the genes. And now here we are, in the tender care of Ysanne Isard, who should be dead. As soon as we touched ground, something changed in all three of us, me, Wedge, and Tycho.” Corran sucked in a deep breath; sometimes he hated his CorSec training when all he wanted to do was ignore the evidence. “So, I’m assuming this gene was activated in us, and that’s why Isard is here, because she’s interested in the gene.” 

There was silence for a moment. Nejaa’s face was grim, Ovuk was pale, and Elder Soruk sat with the kind of calm Corran had always associated with Jedi, particularly Luke Skywalker. With a heavy groan, Corran dropped his face into his hands.

“My _life_ , gods, Mirax is going to _kill me_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **FYI:** So, in case you missed it while reading the books (or never read the books), the relationship between Nejaa Halcyon and Corran Horn. Nejaa was a master of the Corellian Jedi Temple, and against Jedi rules at the time, married secretly and had a son. When Nejaa died due to the Purge, his best friend, CorSec officer Rostek Horn, married his widow and adopted his son to keep them safe. Nejaa’s son, Hal Horn, joined CorSec, and in time, so did Corran Horn, Nejaa’s grandson. Corran had no idea his grandfather was a Jedi until his capture and subsequent escape from Isard on Coruscant, when he ended up in the Emperor’s museum/trophy room, found Nejaa’s lightsaber, and used it to escape the Imperials. Luke Skywalker recognized the lightsaber, and a family token Corran carried, from his research on former Jedi; Hal Horn later confirmed to his son that they were descended from a Jedi.


	5. "as the shixii turn on the xipa"

Luke dropped out of hyperspace in orbit around Eiattu 6 and frowned. Something didn’t feel right. But then, something had been niggling at him since he heard Wedge, Tycho, and Corran had disappeared; perhaps his unease was just spilling over into his perception. He drew in a deep breath and reminded himself that, despite the Rogues’ propensity for dangerous situations, Wedge—and the others—were more than capable of defending themselves, even when deprived of their X-Wings.

“Artoo, set a course for the capitol.” 

Artoo let out a _squeep_ of affirmation, and Luke flipped the comm switch.

“Eiattu Control, this is Skywalker. Request permission to approach, over.”

There was silence. The itch in his mind intensified. 

“Eiattu Control, this is Commander Luke Skywalker of the New Republic, requesting permission to land, over.” 

The comm crackled in his ear. Luke tapped his fingers against his ship’s yoke. What in the Force was going on? 

“Artoo, find a comm channel in the capitol, try to figure out what’s happening. I’m going to bring us down there and hope we don’t get shot at by security,” Luke muttered that last bit. Artoo whistled agreement. 

As they approached, Luke began to wonder if, perhaps, there was simply a problem with comms on Eiattu. The part of the capitol on this side of the mountain range seemed peaceful enough. He maneuvered his X-Wing around the mountains toward the palace and spaceport, and dropped right into a swarm of TIE fighters. 

Instinct and the Force had him juke upwards, even as his fingers twitched on the trigger. One TIE exploded as green lasers flashed underneath Luke, cracking into the mountainside. The swarm turned to follow him, but Luke was already shooting upward and forward, toward the spaceport and lazy spirals of smoke that told him these TIEs weren’t the only ones in the capitol. Artoo’s information confirmed that there were several groups of TIEs throughout the city, though no more than thirty or so individual units, all told. A decent complement for a Star Destroyer, but there wasn’t one _here_. 

Lasers flashed past him and he swore lowly in Huttese, sliding out of the way. He was so focused on the enemies behind him, he didn’t register the click of the comm until a loud, unhappy voice demanded, 

“Who the hell is on this channel, how the hell did they get a mouth like that, and if they’re one of mine, why the hell haven’t they taught me Huttese yet? I’ve never even _heard_ most of those words!” 

Luke blinked at the comm. Artoo chirped smugly. 

“Oi, did you get killed or something? Don’t tell me you’re one of the damn TIEs!” 

Luke rolled his eyes. “It’s me, Plourr.” 

“Me who?” 

“It’s Luke,” Winter responded. Her voice was steady over the comms. 

“Oh, Luke, you’re just in time for the fun!”

“So I see.” He grunted and twisted away from a persistent TIE. It tumbled in front of him—likely a green, overenthusiastic pilot—and Luke shredded its wings. It fell to earth, but the pilot managed to escape. 

There were still at least four TIEs still on his tail. Luke hit the thrusters and jolted forward, faster than the TIEs could match. 

“Where are you?” He asked. 

“Over by the spaceport,” Mirax answered. There was a rumble over her comm and she crowed “Hah! Take that, Imp bastard! Plourr’s in an X-Wing, Luke, but the rest of us are in Eiattu Security Forces fighters. We’re doing what we can, but our focus is protecting the center of the city.” 

“Imps are determined to destroy the spaceport and the palace right now,” Plourr said with a grunt. “Trying to cripple us, probably, but I don’t see why. Where the hell did they come from?” 

A flurry of whistles and chirps from Artoo brought Luke’s attention to his computer screen. “Artoo identified the squadron; the 69th, based on the Star Destroyer _Reckoning_. Have your scouts seen any SDs nearby?” 

“Our scouts didn’t, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one around, we’ve been busy with the damn mercenary bandits.” Plourr growled. 

Luke jigged downwards, narrowly avoiding a skyscraper, and a pair of TIEs screamed by overhead. He smirked and looped backward, behind the skyscraper, and came up behind all four TIEs that had been dogging him. Moments later, there were only two TIEs, and they scattered like womp rats before a Tattooine bonegnawer.

“That’s what the Rogues were here for, Luke.” Winter informed him. “There were sightings of a Star Destroyer in the J’mel system, called in by one of Booster Terrik’s men. If this squadron was stationed on the _Reckoning,_ it’s likely the report was true.” 

“You don’t sound happy about that,” Mirax remarked, as Luke finally saw their small fighters weaving in and out of TIEs whirling above the spaceport.

“That would be because I’m not,” Winter said viciously, even as Luke saw one of the Eiattu fighters burn a pair of TIEs in quick succession. “Mirax, the _Reckoning_ was last assumed to be under the command of Ysanne Isard.” 

“Isard is dead,” Mirax objected, but Luke felt a tremor in the Force and sucked in a breath.

“She’s not,” he whispered. 

“…oh Sithspawn, Luke, don’t tell me—” 

“TIEs first, possibly-alive Isard later,” Plourr cut in. “Luke, get the hell in here and help clean up. We need this done _yesterday_. Then we’ll go after our missing Rogues, backup or no backup.” 

Luke eyed the large amount of TIEs left; the remaining two after him had grown to six, and his mouth stretched in a slow grin. Adrenaline pricked at his spine; Artoo echoed it with beeps of excitement. It had been too long since he could let loose as a pilot. With a deft twist of the controls, he spun into the nearest group of TIEs, and lost himself to the familiar interplay of machine, experience, and instinct.

 

***

 

Between her blood-red uniform, her straight-backed posture, and her cold bi-colored eyes, Ysanne Isard made a striking figure on the _Reckoning_ ’s bridge, particularly when placed against the windows that looked out onto space and the planet of Sa’brg. All the officers and troopers on duty were bent to their tasks with a desperate urge to evade her notice. Captain Demona Ylva, however, was unable to do the same, and carefully approached Isard. 

“Madam Director, the evacuation is proceeding as scheduled. We should be able to leave the system in two hours.”

Isard turned her eyes on Ylva, who stiffened, but kept her face unmoved. Before her promotion, she had been assigned to the _Devastator_ , where she had often worked in close quarters to Darth Vader himself. Personally, Ylva would have preferred Vader to Isard; at least Vader was somewhat predictable in his moods. 

“Very well, Captain.” Isard appeared to be in a decent, if chilly, mood. “We leave as soon as everything is retrieved, then.” 

Ylva hesitated. “What of our fighter squadron, Madam Director? They have yet to return from Eiattu.” 

“If they are not here by the time we leave, they are either dead or captured. Either way, they are no longer useful.” Isard made a dismissive gesture. “Inform me when the evacuation is finished.” 

Ylva’s lips tightened, but she bowed her head and left, her boots clicking on the metal floor. Isard returned to her contemplation of the planet. Her lips ticked up in a slow, satisfied smile.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the _Reckoning_ is an actual Star Destroyer said to be under the command of Ysanne Isard in the Extended Universe, but Captain Ylva and the 69th (snerk) TIE Fighter Squadron are both from my own imagination.
> 
> Also, by this time Luke has resigned his commission as a New Republic officer, but he can still use the title, particularly if he's speaking to other military/those who might respect military more. My dad does this; he retired a Lt. Colonel, and when speaking to certain organizations, he uses that title, while other organizations require him to introduce himself as Dr. so-and-so. It's all about getting a decent response.


	6. "so the hunted became hunters"

Wedge stumbled to his knees as a Stormtrooper shoved him into a small storage bay off the main hangar.  Tycho was thrown down beside him, still unconscious. Wedge was beginning to worry; the Alderaanian had been unresponsive for at least the last hour, though Wedge could tell his heart was still beating. Just as he could tell that Stormtrooper #1 had just eaten his rations—reconstituted nerf, ugh—and that Stormtrooper #2 had drunk too much liquor last night. 

What the hell was going on with him? Wedge was tempted to blame the Force, but 1) Luke wasn’t here, and 2) no Sith around, besides the fact that he was pretty-much Force-blind. He tried to ignore the sounds that kept spiking and kept his tied hands firmly close to his chest, refusing to even think about the itchy rash spreading on his legs under the rough cloth pants he had been given. 

Boots rang out against metal, and Wedge turned his head to the door a good minute before the Stormtroopers heard it. Another pair of troopers marched in, and Wedge felt something inside him ease when he saw a tired, but apparently unharmed, Corran Horn between them. They shoved Corran down next to Wedge, and the sergeant beckoned to the troops guarding the pilots. 

“TK-895, stay here and guard them. You two, come with me. Most of the contingent has evacuated, we need all hands to deal with the subjects. These three will be fine here, for now.” 

A moment later, the three Rogues were alone in the storage bay, with a single Stormtrooper standing guard between the two entrances several feet away from their piece of floor. Wedge let out a breath and glanced at Corran. 

“You’re all right?” 

“I’m fine. Well, sort of fine.” 

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” 

“It means none of the troopers touched me. Isard didn’t even come to gloat. But something else happened, something weird.” 

Tycho groaned and Wedge blinked in surprise. He hadn’t thought Tycho would wake so soon, but he was responding to Corran’s voice. 

“Gods, between you and Luke, it’s always weird,” Tycho complained, his voice hoarse. “I thought Luke would take all the freaky Force stuff with him so we could deal with normal freaky Rogue stuff instead.” 

“Sorry, sir,” Corran responded with a wry smile. “Not this time. I’m glad you’re awake; there’s something you both need to know about this planet, and why, exactly, Isard is here.”

 

***

 

“So Isard found out about this gene long before Coruscant,” Wedge was trying to wrap his head around Corran’s tale. “And she’s been trying to figure it out?”

“Yes. According to my source—” 

“Force ghosts,” Tycho groaned.

Corran huffed. “Yes, according to the _Force ghosts_ , it was an accident. They landed here when they were dealing with Eiattu, remember when they tried setting up that imposter as Plourr’s brother? Turns out, one of her officers had the gene, and the planet has been alone for so long she’s gone a bit…well, the elder termed it feral. She activated it immediately, and one was all it took for Isard to be interested. She found others with the gene, brought them here for research, and managed to find records buried in the depths of the former Temple Archives, as well as the Emperor’s Sith Archives.” 

“And now we were activated. Tycho and I are Sentinels, and you…” 

“A Guide, apparently. Like being a potential Jedi wasn’t enough.”

Wedge sighed and brought his bound hands to his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose. “All right. Practicality, then freaking out. How does this help us escape?” 

Corran shifted uneasily. “I spoke to the Elder…”

 

***

 

_This will be dangerous, Corran. Soruk said with a frown.  While you have some Jedi training, it will not help overmuch with your abilities as a Guide, and there is the possibility you will be overwhelmed without your Sentinel to help you._

_“So, my Sentinel isn’t on-planet?” Corran knew Isard had several online Sentinels in her grasp, besides Wedge and Tycho, and he had a general idea of the nature of a Sentinel/Guide bond now. The thought of bonding to someone other than his wife had been…_

_No. Ovuk was the one to answer. I felt it, when I helped your memory! They may not be online, but it’s like there’s a big sign on you saying Do Not Touch._

_It’s probably your wife , Nejaa said gently, and grinned at Corran’s obvious relief. She’s Corellian too, you know. It’s likely she got the gene as well; a lot of Sentinels and Guides settled on Corellia._

_It is the same for your friends. I visited them earlier, and they have similar signs. Stronger ones, of course, since their partners are Guides, Soruk admitted. Which means, as I mentioned before, things will be difficult. Even if they trust you, in order to escape you will have to use your fledgling Guide gifts to center their senses as much as you are able. This is not something that will be easy when they have already unconsciously imprinted on their Guides._

_“We’re Rogue Squadron,” Corran said with wry resignation. “Easy isn’t really part of our vocabulary anymore.”_

***

Wedge sat silent for a moment after Corran explained his conversation with the Sa’brg Elder, then gave a decisive nod. 

“All right. What do you need to do?” 

“Are you sure?” Corran had a cautious look on his face. “It’s going to be mental work; I’ll be grounding you both as best I can, while trying to shield myself at the same time.” 

Tycho heaved himself up from the floor. “I can’t say I’m thrilled about it, but needs must. We need to get out of here, and that’s pretty much impossible right now, with my brain going haywire like this. We passed the toilets when Isard was bringing me in for torture; I’m pretty sure I never need to smell that again, it nearly knocked me out.” 

Corran looked to Wedge. “Orders then, sir?”

“We do this and get out, we go to Eiattu, get some help, inform Ackbar about what happened. Then we can come back, retrieve our snoops and droids, and blast that SD to hell.” Wedge flinched as a crash from the hangar made his hearing spike. “Let’s hurry before that Stormtrooper gets suspicious.” 

“Right.” Corran gave them a grim smile. “Here goes nothing, then.” His face grew blank as he concentrated. 

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then Wedge jerked as he felt a mental hand brush over his mind. It was gentle, hesitant, with strength behind it; it almost felt like Luke’s mental touch when he had saved Wedge from that bomb, but not—not quite right. Wedge met Tycho’s startled gaze, and realized that Tycho’s eyes had stopped their random dilating and contracting. 

“Okay,” Corran said distantly. “I’m connected to you both, and now I need to you dial it down. Imagine each one of your senses as a—a sensor in your X-Wing. Each sensor corresponds to one of your physical senses; they’re up way too high right now, thanks to Iceheart. I need you to find the input dials, and slowly bring them down to manageable levels. Think you can manage?” 

It took several minutes. Tycho’s sight was prone to focusing on tiny details, and Wedge’s hearing kept picking up possibilities of danger, which distracted him. However, they soon got the hang of it, and were astonished to find themselves somewhat pain-free, sense-wise, for the first time since they arrived on Sa’brg.

“It won’t last forever,” Corran sounded tired, “but it should last long enough for us to escape, if I concentrate and you two try not to overuse your new abilities.” 

Wedge nodded and glanced at their guard, who was slouched against the wall and snoring faintly. He smirked.

 

***

 

Moments later, the three Rogues sneaked into the enormous hangar, leaving the Stormtrooper unconscious in a crate of cleaning supplies. Corran followed the two new Sentinels and focused on their mental and emotional responses, as instructed by Soruk, while Wedge and Tycho used their senses to find a safe path through the hangar’s chaos.

They ducked behind crates and moved quickly in open spaces. After a few minutes, Wedge reached back and tapped Corran’s shoulder as Tycho kept watch. 

“There’s a transport up ahead. No TIEs to be seen; it might be our best bet.” 

“Also looks like that’s where they’re loading all Isard’s playthings,” Tycho said softly. There were several gurneys lined up near the transport. Medics were moving them on board one at a time under the watchful eyes of two fidgeting scientists. Every gurney bore a man, unconscious and strapped down with thick bindings; several of the subjects were staring blankly into space. 

“Good,” Corran whispered. “Escape and rescue at the same time.” 

“We’ve just got to get there, which is a problem,” Wedge pointed out. “There’s no real cover, and there are Stormtroopers all around it.” 

“Can we wait until they finish? I mean, I doubt the troopers are going to fit on that transport, with all the other people and equipment. They’ll have to leave, and we can possibly sneak aboard without anyone the wiser.” Tycho rubbed a thumb over his chin. “It could work, if we’re careful and quiet and manage to get a bit closer.” 

It was the best plan they had, at the moment. They carefully inched closer to the transport. It was going well, until there was a sharp metallic shriek behind them. The two Sentinels immediately cried out, clapping hands to their ears, and Corran stumbled at the sudden onslaught of pain. The Imperial droid behind them, a small courier, continued to whistle until Tycho kicked out and slammed it against a crate, causing it to warble into silence. 

Which is when the blaster fire started. 

Long experience and instinct ensured that, despite their shock, all three Rogues threw themselves behind cover as blaster bolts began flying past. Tycho had their former guard’s blaster and began to return fire, but one blaster against fifteen does little damage. 

“Now what?” Tycho yelled, ducking back down behind the crate. He blinked rapidly; Wedge could see his pupils dilating much too fast. His own hearing was beginning to spike. He could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the hangar, a mass of drums marching to different beats. Corran was wide-eyed and pale, with sweat beading on his forehead. That strange sense of calm that had covered Tycho and Wedge was beginning to unravel. Wedge reached out and clamped a hand on Corran’s shoulder. 

“We—we need to calm down, before—” 

Wedge never finished his sentence. A stray bolt ricocheted off the floor, and instead of hitting a crate, hit Corran’s leg. With a shout, Corran’s mental protections shattered, and his pain fell on the room like a brick. Wedge and Tycho shivered in place, their eyes wide as their instincts responded to _Guide in pain_. 

Growls began on the other side of the crates, and shouts became screams as Isard’s precious subjects, wrenched from their unconscious states by a Guide’s pain, broke their bonds and began to attack all enemies in their path. Tycho stalked out to join them with a rumbling snarl, but Wedge quivered in place. His instincts were screaming at him to join them, fight, kill the enemy… 

 _Commander Antilles!_  

A blue figure wavered in front of Wedge and he hissed out a breath of shock. It had no heartbeat, no scent, no color other than blue. 

 _Commander, you need to get out there and stop them before they begin to turn on each other!_ _You’re an Alpha Sentinel, they will_ listen _to you! You must_ command _them! Quickly, before they are out of reach!_  

One of the young Sentinels was struck down by a trooper. Wedge snarled instinctively, and out on the hangar floor, Tycho echoed him and shot the trooper. 

“It’s not going to work,” Corran groaned, looking at the Force ghost. “Soruk, without the training, we can’t _control_ it.” 

 _Force, if you were only bonded…_  

“Yeah, well, our potential partners aren’t here right now!” 

Wedge could feel his instincts pushing, overtaking his brain. He saw a trooper target Tycho. Grabbing a long pipe, he smashed it against the trooper’s helmet; the enemy fell with a clattering sound that aggravated Wedge’s hearing. He ignored it, ignored the ever-louder argument behind him, and moved out into the fray, his human mind falling away and leaving only the Sentinel behind.

 

***

 

Corran watched in both terror and awe as Wedge stepped out into the fight. As one, every Sentinel turned to him and bared their throats in deference. 

_Gods, I was afraid of this._

“What’s going on, Soruk?” 

 _They’ve gone feral, at least the younger ones have_. Soruk ran a hand through his hair. _Your Commander Antilles and Captain Celchu are close, but not quite there. They are both Alphas in their own right, and have unconscious Guide claims, perhaps that is helping. But…_  

“But?” Corran prompted as he tried to move into better shelter behind the crates. 

 _But once this fight finishes, we will have several feral Sentinels, and without your own Sentinel here, you could be in danger._ Soruk was blunt. _You are a Guide, they are traumatized feral Sentinels, and while Antilles and Celchu could hold them back for a while, they may try to bond with you while out of their minds. I have seen it happen, once; the Guide and many of the Sentinels died._  

“Kriff. Okay, I need to get out of the line of fire. Is the way to the transport clear, at least?” Corran chanced a glance over his hiding spot. “I’ll have to dodge a few troopers, which will be dicey on this leg, but I could—” 

Sa’brg surged in Corran’s mind, and he could feel the shock from Wedge, Tycho, and the other Sentinels as they felt her too. There were people coming, people landing, and _gods_ he could feel it as Mirax suddenly switched online like a hurricane, right outside the hangar doors. There was a sharp-soft mind right behind hers. 

 _Winter. She’s here. Winter._ Tycho’s mind brushed his, whispering the name of his long-time lover. Corran sighed in relief. That only left… 

A mental presence descended on them all like a heavy blanket. Corran had stood up on his good leg, and he staggered, gripping a nearby strut for balance. The Sentinels were frozen in place, and every remaining Stormtrooper had dropped in the face of that mental power. Corran looked up. Wedge had his face turned toward the hangar doors, his eyes wide. 

Luke Skywalker appeared in his pilot jumpsuit. Surprise and determination colored his mental presence, even as he pressed _calm_ and _peace_ onto everyone within reach. Corran could feel himself settling as Luke jogged across the hangar floor. His presence grew deeper and the emotions wilder as Luke approached Wedge, whose own mental landscape was roiling.

When he finally reached Wedge, Luke didn’t stop. He moved right into Wedge’s arms and raised his hands, framing the other pilot’s face. They stared at each other for a moment, then, with a sound of pure want, Wedge tugged Luke closer and pressed their mouths together in a desperate kiss. As Corran watched, wide-eyed, their emotions twisted together, smoothed out, and slid behind a thick shield that left Corran gasping at the sudden cessation of pressure. Luke and Wedge parted, but Wedge buried his face in Luke’s neck and the Jedi just held him there, humming softly. The younger Sentinels swayed to the tune, some sliding to the floor. Tycho was wobbling on his feet when Winter appeared, her white hair glowing in the hangar lights. She carefully helped him down to the floor and didn’t protest when Tycho pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her hair. 

Corran blinked. For a moment, two vague animal shapes shimmered beside Tycho and Winter. Looking at Luke and Wedge, he caught a glimpse of a pair of birds circling above the new Alpha pair. 

“Corran!” 

Mirax was jogging toward him, her green eyes intent. Corran reach out, mentally and physically, and saw a rangy, long-legged feline alongside her. A vague thought had him look to the side, to find a canine laughing at him. Good gods. A Corellian Slice Hound. He looked back at the cat. A Corellian Sand Panther. What the hell? Soruk had damn well forgotten some information! 

Corran forgot his confusion when Mirax wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed her face into his chest. He immediately wrapped his mind around hers, reveling in the ease of touching her mentally, as opposed to his earlier attempts with Tycho and Wedge. Mirax pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his neck, let out a shuddering sigh, and closed her eyes. 

“I’m going to _kill_ you for scaring me like this, Corran.” 

“I thought you might.” He could feel the fear at what was happening to her and squeezed her tighter. “Don’t worry, we sort of know what’s going on. We just need to get rid of Isard first.” 

 _And BOND_. Soruk muttered from behind him. Corran ignored the ghost. He knew they had to bond, but it sure as hell wasn’t happening in the middle of an Imperial hangar! 

“If she was on the SD, she’s gone.” Mirax murmured. “It ran right after we appeared in system. Plourr tried to chase it, but the three of us…we just knew we had to be down here.” 

“And it’s a good thing you came,” Corran sighed. Mirax tucked her hands under his shirt—he didn’t bother to tell her no, she did this in public all the time—and turned her head to look at their new Alphas. There was a sudden knowledge in her, that she would follow Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles to the galaxy’s edge and beyond, and it shocked her. Corran soothed her with a smile; it was a reminder, he thought, of the day he had first met Wedge Antilles, Hero of the Rebellion, and realized _this is a man I could die for_. 

After a moment of reflection, as they watched Luke and Wedge exchange kisses and gentle words, Mirax glanced up at him. Her eyes were mischievous. 

“So, they’re finally together. Who won the betting pool?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! There are possibilities for turning this into a series. After all, Luke and Wedge are suddenly Alphas of a whole new Pride, there's a semi-feral living planet who wants to keep them, and a rather insane former Director of Imperial Intelligence named Isard running around free.
> 
> However, that won't happen anytime soon. I still need to finish my Shadow of Mordor fic, and after that, I have several plans for expanding my Mass Effect fic into a series.
> 
>  **FYI:** For those who want to know, spirit animals! Finding ones for the Corellians (Mirax/Corran/Wedge) was pretty easy, and the same went for the Alderaanians (Tycho/Winter). But Luke was a pain. Everything on Tatooine is awful, okay? Even the bugs can kill and eat you in a million different ways! But I finally found one. It sounds awful, but it’s actually a loyal, family-oriented creature with protective instincts. Also, it kills womp rats as a major part of its diet. Remember this quote? “I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home.” Yeah. I couldn’t resist. So here’s the list, since I only named two spirit animals in the actual story.
> 
> Luke Skywalker: Tatooine Bonegnawer  
> Wedge Antilles: Corellian Banshee Bird  
> Tycho Celchu: Alderaanian Wolf-Cat  
> Winter: Alderaanian Swan  
> Corran Horn: Corellian Slice Hound  
> Mirax Terrik Horn: Corellian Sand Panther


End file.
